Happiness
by EmmettsBearHugs42
Summary: What if Edward never returned and Bella was able to move on? What would her life look like years down the road? Bella/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: SM owns it all.**

BELLA

"Mommy, look!" Anthony yelled, even though I was walking right beside him, trying not to wince from the vice-like grip he had on my hand. It was amazing how strong a five year old could be.

"What do you see, baby?" I replied, not seeing anything out of the ordinary in the mall we were walking through. We had come here to buy him new cleats for soccer, since he had thoroughly destroyed his in the game he played last Saturday. He played extremely well, even scoring two goals. He had a wonderful knack for sports, and his father and I were immensely proud.

"A new toy store opened! Oh, please can we go in?" my son asked, giving me the puppy dog eyes he learned from John. Thankfully I had become immune to said puppy dog eyes. From both Anthony, and my husband.

"Why don't we go buy your new shoes honey? And then after we meet daddy, we can see how much time we have. Does that sound good?" I asked, though even at age five, Anthony was smart enough to know that I wasn't really asking. I didn't want to keep him from the happiness of a new toy, but we had to buy his cleats, and then meet John afterwards. I didn't want to get held up at the toy store for three hours because Anthony was unable to choose between an action figure and a toy car.

_He definitely got his indecisiveness from his father_, I thought, smiling at the thought of John.

He was my savior. I had met him during sophomore year at the University of Washington. After my horrible senior year, and a tried-but-failed relationship with Jacob, I had chosen a school very close to home. Not wanting to be far away from Forks, or Charlie.

My father had endured hell because of me. Between the stunt with Edward where I had disappeared and "fell down a flight of stairs," during my junior year, and my catatonic zombie months in senior year, I'm sure my father had suffered more than his fair share of heartache.

My freshman year of college, I mostly stayed to myself. I had majored in English, and dove straight into my studies. My grades were impeccable, mostly because I really didn't have many friends. My roommate and I were nice to each other, but we never had a deep relationship. And I was still trying to deal with my abandonment and trust issues.

But once I met John in sophomore year, everything changed. He noticed how reclusive I was, and started joining me for lunch.

"Hi, my name's John. Mind if I join?" he asked, ever so casually, with a warm, bright smile on his face.

"Um, sure," I replied, not entirely sure how I was supposed to react. I moved my books over on the table to make room.

"So what's your name?" he wondered, while digging into his lunch.

"I'm Bella," I said, with a little more confidence. His happy smile seemed to thaw me. And for some reason, I felt at ease.

After the first couple of weeks of the superficial conversations we had, I realized how genuine of a person he was. Our conversations started with me not really contributing, and him talking to me about his major, how crazy he thought his professors were, and then about his friends, and then his family. It was amazing how comfortable I felt with him, and soon enough, I was talking just as much as he was.

It was only normal that our relationship evolved to more. We went from the everyday lunches, to roaming the campus together. And from there, we took it further.

He wasn't healing me like Jacob had. The hole was no longer present in my chest, I was just wary of trusting people. And John fixed that. He didn't take me out of a zombie-stupor; he just made me a better person.

Yes, Edward did hold my heart once. But that was a long time ago; and he had let me go. I've come to terms with that now. It took me a while, but I got there. And now, I had John. He held my heart now. And he would, for always and forever.

When John asked me out on a date, two months to the day after he first sat down at lunch with me, I held no hesitance. I had seen this coming, and I was beyond happy.

John was my savior, my angel.

"Okay, no problem." Anthony agreed, drawing me out of my musings.

I smiled down at my beautiful baby boy. He was never a problem, always going to bed on time, never purposefully causing trouble. He was truly wonderful, and I could only hope that the son or daughter that had been growing inside me, for almost three months now, would be just as easy to parent.

Anthony and I walked into the shoe store, and he immediately dragged me to the wall that was completely covered with shoes.

"Hmm…" he said, contemplating. "I think I want that one!" he exclaimed, as he pointed to a bright red shoe for basketball players.

I was about to explain to him that he needed _cleats_ when a nice saleswoman approached us, and steered us in the correct direction.

One hour and one pair of black cleats later, Anthony and I were walking out of the store.

"So when are we meeting daddy?" he wondered. I checked the time, and we had ten minutes before we were meeting John at the fountain in the center of the mall.

Someone needed to explain to me _why_ a mall needed a fountain…

"We've got ten minutes, sweetie. Let's make our way there." I replied, and he nodded his head enthusiastically. He hadn't seen John all day since he had to leave early this morning for a meeting.

As we made our way to the fountain, Anthony kept up his chatter about his day at school.

Apparently a girl named Mary had gotten a perfect score on a spelling quiz they had, and was bragging about it to everyone. It got to the point where their teacher had to take away her quiz and have a stern talk with her outside.

I Mmed and Ahhed in all the right places, but was mostly focusing on the expressions and emotions Anthony held in his face. John always told me that Anthony was just like me in that respect. That you could see everything he was feeling through his expressions and eyes.

We sat down together on the bench as he finished his story. Him, looking utterly exasperated at the girl's behavior, and me, trying to keep the amusement off my face.

A wide smile came over my face as I saw John walking towards us. He smiled beautifully back at me and picked up his pace.

I couldn't help but giggle.

"How're my two favorite people?" he boomed when he was ten feet away from us. Anthony smiled brightly and launched himself into John's arms.

"Daddy!" he practically shrieked. I laughed joyously as I approached both of them. Anthony was already telling him the story of "Mary and the Spelling Quiz."

John looked at his son animatedly, and winked at me over his head. He put his undivided attention back on Anthony as I looked on.

"And then Ms. Cook brought her outside and _took away her quiz!" _He finished, while flailing his arm all over the place. I just managed to dodge a thwack in the leg from his over-excitedness.

"Wow! That's a whole lot of drama, kiddo!" John laughed.

"I know. It was really intense, dad," Anthony said seriously, and I just managed to contain a laugh. How I loved my baby boy.

"I can only imagine," John agreed, nodding his head.

"Hello there, beautiful." He greeted, while wrapping his arms around me. And of course, I blushed. I was twenty-seven years old and still blushing at the smallest things.

I leaned up on my tip-toes, and John bent down to kiss me whole-heartedly while Anthony was inspecting his new shoes on the bench across from us.

"How was your day?" I asked with my arms still around his neck.

"Nothing to interesting happened. I'm more interested in your day. How's my baby girl doing?" he wondered, while putting his right hand on my stomach, leaving his left hand on the small of my back.

"You don't know it's going to be a girl," I chided, but still smiling at the exuberance in his eyes.

"Oh yes I do. I just know these things," he said, still smiling and gazing into my eyes.

"Really?" I giggled, leaning in for another hug.

"Really," he whispered into my ear.

We stayed hugging, just enjoying the feel of one another, until we were called by our son.

"Come on guys!" he said exasperated. "I want to eat!"

John and I broke apart, while laughing at his antics.

"Alright, alright." John said, leaning down to Anthony's eye level. "Where do you want to go for dinner, kiddo?"

"Hmm… I don't know. Somewhere close! I'm starving!" he replied, flailing his arms once again.

John lifted him, and held him in his right arm, and reached for my hand with his left.

"Where do you want to go, beautiful?" he asked me, as the three of us made our way out of the mall and to the car.

"Well, I've heard good things about the new Italian restaurant in town. Want to check it out?" I asked both of them.

"Sounds great, Mom!" Anthony replied from John's arms. "I'm in the mood for some pasta…" he trailed off. John and I looked adoringly down at him as he planned out his meal in his head; concentration covering every inch of his face.

"Italian it is," John said, and he kissed me once more. Love shining from his eyes.

These two boys were all I needed in life now. And soon, we'd have another addition. All I could feel was happiness and joy, and with them is always where I would stand.

ALICE

I watched as Bella and her son made their way throughout the mall. I could hear the second heartbeat coming from inside Bella's stomach. She was pregnant. I couldn't contain the smile the made its way across my face.

I kept watch as they bought new shoes and chatted aimlessly. Anthony had her large brown eyes and chocolate brown hair. He was practically the spitting image of her.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I flipped it open and read the message from Jasper quickly, not wanting to miss the story that Anthony was telling Bella.

_Did you find them yet?_

Oh, Jasper. Straight and to the point as always. He didn't necessarily agree with this little detour we took. He wanted to honor the promise we had all made Edward: Stay out of Bella's life.

I wasn't planning on saying hello to her, or anything crazy like that. I just wanted to make sure that she was okay. That she was happy. She was my sister after all.

I watched from behind a pillar as Bella's husband greeted her and their son. You couldn't miss the love shining from his face when he looked at Bella.

_Good_, I thought._ She's with someone who appreciates her._

I kept my eyes on Bella's face; judging her reactions through her expressions as they walked to the parking lot.

It was clear as day, Bella loved him. She was happy.

I could hear Bella and him talking quietly, murmuring words of love, in the car as they drove away.

_My sister is happy_, I thought as I flitted back to the car where Jasper was waiting for me.

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	2. Chapter 2

**SM is the owner of all things Twilight.**

ALICE

The seven of us were surrounded by crying family members of Bella. The church was rather full – Bella had made a lot of friends in her lifetime.

I held Edward's hand as the priest began to speak. They were meaningless words; there was nothing personal about anything he said. Just a voice talking about someone he didn't even know. I could hear the sobs coming from a 73 year old John.

It was 45 years later, and he still loved Bella with all his heart.

Just like Edward.

xxx

When we got the news that Bella had passed, it shocked us all, even though we had all seen this coming. She had stayed human, death was inevitable.

All of us were residing in Oregon - Edward had come back to us a few years earlier - when Carlisle came home with a somber look on his face.

I heard a moan, and then sobs coming from Edward's room and knew immediately what was wrong. Carlisle gathered us all around the living room table and calmly explained what he had learned.

Bella had passed in her sleep at the age of 72.

It was painless, it was peaceful, it was tragic.

"Oh God," Esme breathed, her face falling into her hands. Carlisle leaned over to wrap his arms around her, but his expression was miles away.

I fell into Jasper's chest sobbing, as Rosalie and Emmett leaned on each other for support.

Edward was still in his room, sobbing loudly for his lost love.

A loud wail from Bella's daughter, Allison, took me out of my thoughts of what had occurred in the Cullen house two days ago.

Allison's 15 year old daughter hugged her crying mother, while she cried herself.

_Bella was a grandmother_, I though happily, despite the circumstances. She had really did create a beautiful life for herself.

I looked at 50 year old Anthony, crying for his mother. The last time I saw him he was 5 years old, shopping for shoes with his mom. Telling her stories and surrounded by innocence.

Now he had lost his mother, the woman who raised him with love and care; his innocence was gone.

So much has changed in such a short period of time. Anthony now had a wife and a 17 year old son who was crying for his grandma as well.

It seemed like everyone was crying. I looked around and realized that that statement was true. Even us vampires were sobbing loudly.

The ceremony didn't last long, and once it was over everyone stepped outside. As we made our way, we witnessed a distraught looking Anthony help his sobbing father, John, into the limousine. Every single person here was surrounded by sadness.

This day would haunt us all.

xxx

Jasper took my hand and led her me to the car. The burial would have been too difficult for us to attend, so instead we decided to head back to the hotel and go to her gravesite tomorrow.

Carlisle had made of all these decisions for the family. The rest of us were just going through the motions, unable to make clear decisions.

I looked over at Jasper while we were driving. He must be in so much pain. He could barely hide the look of misery on his face. These past couple of days, Edward's pain has brought him to his knees on more than one occasion.

I tried to keep my emotions at a minimum, so he wouldn't have to suffer any more then he already is. But it was extremely difficult. Bella was my best friend.

She was such a true part of our family, and it was just so hard to comprehend that she was gone. She had such a beautiful heart and spirit. Never judging us, or anyone around her for that matter. She stayed loyal to us and never gave anyone a reason to doubt her. She was a wonderful sister to me. And I knew that the fact that she made me happy would make Jasper eternally grateful for her.

But now she was gone, no longer walking this earth, or taking care of her family. Jasper told me that her husband's emotions at the funeral rivaled even Edward's. John was absolutely heartbroken. He had lost the love of his life and simply didn't know how to go on. He loved Bella was everything he had. It was overwhelming.

Poor Anthony and Allison must have felt so lost and distraught, and I saw them having to lean on each other for support. Though I don't have any memory of my mother, just the thought of losing Esme was enough pain to leave me breathless.

And her grandchildren, though they were only teenagers, were just as sad to see their grandmother go. It was clear that Bella had made a special bond with each and every one of them.

The atmosphere was so tense with all of us grieving. Edward was suffering so much, and there was nothing he could do to hide it.

During the entire drive back to the hotel, no one dared mutter a word.

xxx

Edward leaned on Esme while we walked through the lobby. Rosalie was shaking as we stepped into the elevator, and as soon as the doors closed, she collapsed into Emmett's arms, muttering, "Why?" over and over again.

Rose cared for Bella, she just never let her know it.

Bella brought something so special into all of our lives; it was the one thing that Rose wanted the most: humanity.

Bella's death was affecting every single one of us. And I honestly don't know how we are going to recover from this.

xxx

When we walked through the door of our large hotel suite, we were all unsure of where to go from here.

Rose and Emmett were the first to move from the doorway as they sat together on the couch in the main room, embraced in each other's arms, crying with grief for our lost Bella.

Jasper and I then slowly moved to sit on the loveseat, and he gathered my sobbing form into his arms.

Edward was still leaning on Esme, him not having said a word in two days.

Esme led him to the couch opposite Rose and Em, and sat them down together, Carlisle slowly traveling behind them. She wrapped her arms around her first son and rocked him as he sobbed into her chest.

I watched as Esme sent a grateful glance to Carlisle as he laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

We all knew how difficult this was for her. She had lost another child.

xxx

That night we all stayed together in the main room.

No one said anything.

We were all lost in our thoughts of Bella. Individually, we were all falling apart, and we needed to stay in each other's presence and grieve together to make sure that we stayed together as a family.

I'm not sure why, but I started to relive my time with Bella in my own head. I went back to every moment.

I went through every single thing we said to each other. How she would huff and puff when I tried to buy her something, or dress her in something that I knew she would love.

I remembered how she made Edward smile. A real, true smile. She gave him the gift of love, and showed him how much more there was to life. She brought him happiness and smiles. She showed him everything he was missing.

Every one of us would be always be thankful for her. For giving us all true acceptance and love. Bella was just such an angel.

An angel…

Now she really is an angel, in the truest sense of the word. She would be one forever. She could now watch over her children and grandchildren, and keep everyone safe.

And maybe, just maybe, she would do us the honor of watching over the vampire family who will never, ever forget her.

xxx

The seven of us stood in front of the grave of our lost family member, each of us shaking with sobs. Edward was on his knees in front of the grave, his face showing only misery and anguish. I didn't even want to think about what this was like for him.

I stared at the stone that now represented Bella. This was all that was left of her.

_Isabella Marie Swan Collins_

_Loving wife, mother and friend_

_Say not in grief: "She is no more," but live in thankfulness that she was_

As we all looked down at the words that would stay with us forever, Edward spoke for the first time in 72 hours.

"Bella, my sweet, beautiful Bella. I am _so _sorry. I love you, I've always loved you," he moaned.

His words came out in a harsh whisper, filled with regret and anguish. As I looked at my broken brother with sad eyes I realized that there really was no moving past this. Bella had such a deep and irreversible impact on our lives. She would always be the missing piece to our family. One that we could never get back.

As we all stared at the grave while lost in our grief, Edward suddenly stood up, and ran.

He was gone as fast as lightening, running through the forest with wild abandon.

Emmett and Jasper were a second away from chasing him down when Carlisle gave us all a stern look.

"You are not to go after him. He needs his time to grieve, and we all know Edward, he needs to grieve alone," he stated. None of us contradicted him, for we knew he was right.

Edward was the most independent of us all, and he would need to get through this without the entire family breathing down his neck.

And then the vision came, hitting me with such force I was rendered immobile.

Volterra would see clear skies tomorrow.

xxx

**Okay, so I had originally planned this as a oneshot. But a reviewer gave me the idea to add what happens down the road, when Bella dies. **

**I hope you all enjoyed it, please let me know what you think.**


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